Automatic bale ejection drive override means

ABSTRACT

In a crop roll forming machine having a reversibly rotatable upper bale forming means, lower bale forming means and a drive means there is provided a control means affixed to the frame movable between at least a first position and a second position for cooperative interaction with the drive means and the upper and lower bale forming means to selectively cause the lower bale forming means to be driven in a generally rearward direction when the control means is moved from the first position to the second position so that a partially formed crop roll is ejected rearwardly from the machine onto the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a machine for forming large cylindrical balesof crop material, commonly called round bales, in a roll forming regionabove the ground. More specifically, it is concerned with apparatuswhich permits the completed bale to be discharged from the roll formingregion onto the ground by the automatic reversing of the bale formingmeans or upper apron.

Historically, it has been the custom to harvest forage crops by mowingthe particular crop, letting it dry in the field, forming the dried cropmaterial into windrows and passing a hay-baling machine over and alongthese windrows to form the crop material into rectangular bales. Recentpractice has shown that the formation of crop material into largecompact rolls, rather than rectangular bales as formerly done, permitsthe crop material to be deposited in roll form and left in fields forextended periods of time. The ability to leave these rolled bales infields obviates the additional steps required in the traditionalrectangular baling process of gathering the bales and transporting themto a storage area protected from the elements. This new technique offorming large round bales has created a baling systen that can beconducted by one person. This is in marked contrast to the traditionalpractice of forming rectangular bales where the labor of several peoplewas required to effect the cutting, drying, windrowing, baling,gathering and storing of the crop material.

Several methods of forming compact cylindrical rolls of crop materialhave evolved through the years. The most successful of these methodsinvolves the forming of crop rolls by picking up a swath or windrow ofmaterial from the field and directing it onto a lower conveyor. Thisconveyor transports the material to a roll or bale forming region wherean upper apron or flight of belts, usually positioned above and adjacentthe conveyor, moves in a suitable direction to rotate the crop materialwith which it is brought into contact. The increasing popularity ofthese crop roll forming machines has seen their use broaden from rollingwintering forage for livestock to rolling high protein crops, such asalfalfa, for dairy livestock. Therefore, these machines are the focalpoint of many ideas for developing both labor-saving and time-savingapparatus.

Crop roll forming machines that produce large cylindrical crop rollsutilize some form of a tailgate which is pivotally mounted to the frameof the machine. The tailgate is elevated upon completion of the croproll or when it is desired to discharge a less than full size bale forany of a variety of reasons from the roll forming region. The tailgatefollows a predetermined arc of travel, generally pivoting about a fixedpoint on the frame.

Prior crop roll forming machines require the operator, who is located inthe operator's area of a prime moving vehicle, such as a tractor, toperform a series of manual operations after completing the formation ofthe large crop roll and prior to recommencing the roll forming processor cycle. Generally these manual steps require the stopping of the rollforming machine and the towing tractor, the initiation of the wrappingof the completed crop roll, stopping the power takeoff shaft from thetractor, opening the tailgate, restarting the power takeoff shaft topower the roll forming machine's components to assist in discharging thebale, closing the tailgate and finally, restarting the forward motion ofthe tractor and the roll forming machine. Recently developed crop rollforming machines have reduced the number of manual steps which themachine operator must perform after the completion of the formation ofeach bale.

These recently developed crop roll forming machines generally dischargethe completed crop material package from the roll forming region bypivoting the tailgate rearwardly and upwardly, thereby permitting theupper bale forming means to automatically cease rotation in a firstdirection and commence rotation in an opposing second direction. Thisautomatic reversal of the upper bale forming means simultaneously occurswith the declutching of the lower bale forming means or conveyor. Acompleted crop roll thus is urged rearwardly out of the machine onto theground with the operator being required only to stop the towing tractor,initiate the wrapping of the roll and opening and then closing thetailgate. Under certain conditions, such as when the supply of cropmaterial to be baled has been exhausted or when the core of the roll hasbroken down, it is necessary to eject a partially formed roll ofrelatively small diameter. Usually the mere reversing of the upper baleforming means will not effect the ejection of the crop roll under theseconditions since the partially formed bale or core of crop materialpresents too little surface area for engagement with the upper baleforming means and occupies too little of the bale forming region. Anyrolling motion imparted to the core or partially formed bale will beinsufficient to propel the bale out of the bale forming region and ontothe ground. It then becomes necessary to impart a more positive ejectionforce to the core.

The foregoing problems are solved in the design of the machinecomprising the present machine by providing drive means for dischargingthe completed crop roll automatically with the raising motion of thetailgate. The drive means is provided with a selectively actuatablecontrol means to permit the roll forming machine operator to overridethe automatic reversing of the upper bale forming means and prevent thedeclutching of the lower bale forming means, thereby causing the lowerbale forming means to continue to move rearwardly to convey a partiallyformed crop roll rearwardly out of the bale forming region and onto theground at the rear of the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide in a crop rollforming machine apparatus that will permit the machine operator todischarge the core of an incompletely formed crop roll from the baleforming region.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a drive system for aroll forming machine which will permit the operator to override theclutch which automatically disengages the lower bale forming means topermit the lower bale forming means to be engaged so that it is drivenrearwardly to eject an incompletely formed crop roll.

It is a further feature of this invention that there is imparted to theincompletely formed crop roll sufficient force to eject it from the baleforming region.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the clutch whichautomatically disengages the lower bale forming means cannot beoverriden beyond a predetermined point in the elevation of the tailgateto preclude damage from occurring to the bale forming machine's drivesystem.

These and other objects and advantages are obtained by providing in acrop roll forming machine adapted to be towed across a field controlmeans affixed to the frame movable between at least a first position anda second position for cooperative interaction with the drive means andthe upper and lower bale forming means to selectively cause the lowerbale forming means to be driven in a generally rearward direction whenthe control means is moved from the first position to the secondposition so that in conjunction with the upper bale forming means apartially formed crop roll is ejected rearwardly from the roll formingmachine onto the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon considerationof the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially whenit is taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a crop roll forming machine adaptedto be towed by a tractor having the side shielding broken away to showthe drive means for the upper apron and showing in solid lines thetailgate's positioning for ejecting a core or partially formed bale andin phantom lines the fully raised position for ejecting a fully formedbale.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the drive means for theupper bale forming means of the crop roll forming machine illustratingthe control means used to override the automatic declutching of thelower bale forming means or conveyor. The positioning of the tensioningidlers when the tailgate is in the closed position is shown in solidlines and in phantom lines when the tailgate is in the fully raisedposition.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the drive means and the controlmeans used to override the automatic disengaging of the lower baleforming means or conveyor when the upper bale forming means is reversedto eject a bale or core.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring generally to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, thereis shown a general representation of the crop roll forming machine 10 ofthe type illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,909 to Mast, dated Jan. 14,1975. The crop roll forming machine 10 is illustrated in position to befastened to a towing vehicle such as a tractor which has a power takeoffshaft (not shown) providing the rotary driving force for themechanically operated components of the crop roll forming machine. Themachine 10 is appropriately fastened via the towing hitch 14 mounted onthe draft member 15 of the roll forming machine 10 to the hitch memberof the tractor (not shown). The tractor hydraulic lines 18 provide thenecessary fluid from the tractor's hydraulic reservoir (not shown) forthe hydraulically operated components of the roll forming machine 10.The drive means for the roll forming machine 10 is indicated generallyby the numeral 19.

The roll forming machine 10, shown in FIG. 1, comprises generally anupper frame 20 and a lower frame 21. Lower frame 21 has mounted to itsforward portion a pickup 22, normally tined, for collecting cropmaterial deposited in preformed windrows on a field and delivering it tothe roll forming machine 10. The lower frame 21 includes a horizontalbeam member 24 to which is suitably fastened a floor 25. The floor 25alternatively may be in the form of sheet metal with appropriatechannels (not shown) having conveying chains running therealong, asillustrated in the aformentioned patent to Mast, or may consist of oneor more conveyor belts rotatably mounted or any other means suitable forsupporting crop material once it is delivered thereto by the pickup 22.Horizontal beam member 24 is connected at its forward end to a generallyvertical beam member 26. A diagonal brace member 28 is appropriatelyfastened to the top of vertical beam member 26 and extends downwardlyand rearwardly until it joins fixedly with a bracing member at therearward portion of the side sheet covering member 29. A diagonalbracing member 30 extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear of sidesheet covering member 29 until it is fixedly fastened to vertical member26. This lower frame 21 is mobilely mounted to a pair of wheels 31 (onlyone of which is shown) via a suitable axle and support beam indicatedgenerally by the numeral 32.

Upper frame 20, shown in solid lines in a partially elevated position inFIG. 1, consists of a tailgate pivotable about its mounting point 34 atthe top of vertical member 26. The tailgate or upper frame 20 is formedfrom a series of interconnected bracing members 35,36,37,38 and 39 andis encased by side sheet members 40 and rear sheet members (not shown).The upper frame 20 is raised and lowered by means of a pair of hydrauliccylinders 41, only one of which is shown. As best seen in FIG. 1, thehydraulic cylinders 41 are mounted one on each side of the frame withthe barrel end 42 being fastened to the vertical beam member 26 of thelower frame 21 and the rod end 44 being fastened to the bracing member35 of the upper frame 20. Suitable hydraulic lines (not shown) areconnected to opposite ends of the cylinders 41 to supply the fluid fromthe aforementioned tractor hydraulic reservoir for the selectiveactivation of the hydraulic cylinders. As best seen in the elevatedposition of FIG. 1, the upper frame has an elongated section 45 of thetype shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,505 assigned to theassignee of the present invention.

The upper bale forming means or upper apron 46 travels about theperiphery of the roll forming machine 10 on a series of appropriatelymounted idler sprockets 48,49,50,51 and a drive sprocket (not shown)mounted about a reversible rotatable shaft 52. Shaft 52 is suitablyrotatably affixed or mounted to vertical frame member 26. A takeupmechanism indicated generally by the numeral 54 in FIG. 1 is fastened tobearing brackets 55 which are in turn secured to the upper portion ofvertical member 26. The takeup mechanism 54 further includes a pair ofpivotable parallel arms 56, one being positioned on each side of theframe. The takeup mechanism pivots about a bearing 58 and thereby allowsthe upper apron 46 to be played out and about the periphery of expandingcrop roll R. The upper apron 46 passes about sprockets 59 mounted on theend of each of the takeup arms 56. The upper apron 46 is preferablycomprised of a pair of roller link chains (not shown) transverselyspaced apart on opposing sides of the machine 10. These chains areinterconnected by a series of spaced apart parallel crop engagingmembers which combine with the roller link chains to form a rotatablecurvilinear crop engaging member.

The details of the roll forming machine are not described in furtherdetail at this point because they are old and well known to one ofordinary skill in the art. It should be noted, however for the purposeof the invention to be described hereinafter, that the upper apron 46could equally well comprise the aforementioned roller link chains, aswell as a series of expandable belts or a series of rollers ofcylindrical or hexagonal cross section arranged to form a movablecurvilinear surface.

Drive means 19 is connected to the power takeoff shaft of the towingtractor through a series of connecting shafts and gearboxes. Connectingshaft 60 of FIG. 1 connects to the power takeoff shaft of the tractorabove draft member 15. Shaft 60 then joins input shaft 61 via auniversal joint 63. Input shaft 61 is rotatable fastened to draft member15 via support bracket 64. Rearwardly of bracket 64 draft member 15separates into two members, only one of which is shown as 65 in FIG. 2,to generally form an A-frame type of structure. These two members arefixedly fastened to a horizontal support member 68, briefly shown bestin FIG. 2, which extends tranversely across the width of the rollforming machine 10. Input shaft 61 then is joined with a right anglegearbox 69 suitably fastened atop horizontal support member 68. Therotary power is transferred within gearbox 69 through a set of bevelgears (not shown) to an output shaft 71. As evident from FIGS. 2 and 3,shaft 71 extends through side member 72 and at its extremity has mountedthereabout a multi-grooved drive sheave 74. The sheave 74 and outputshaft 71 are continuously driven during the operation of the rollforming machine 10 without disengaging the power takeoff shaft of thetractor. As best shown in FIG. 3, the rotary power being transferredfrom the tractor power takeoff shaft through the gearbox 69 to thesheave 74 is transferred via drive belt 75 to sheave 76 and then toshaft 78 about which sheave 76 is mounted.

The transfer of rotary power is best seen in FIG. 2 where in enlargedscale the drive means 19 is first shown in solid lines with thecomponents in position to drive the upper apron 46 in a first directionutilized during the formation of a bale; and secondly, in phantom inposition to drive the upper apron 46 in an opposing second directionutilized during the discharge of the bale, respectively. Interiorly ofthe sheave 76 shaft 78 has a sprocket 79 mounted thereabout which isconnected via chain 80 to driven pickup sprocket 81 which is mountedabout pickup drive shaft 82. Shaft 82 than drives the tined pickup 22which is pivotally mounted to the lower frame 21 of FIG. 1.

Drive sheave 74 also has a second driving belt 84 mounted thereaboutinteriorly of the drive belt 75. Belt 84 is wrapped about multiplygrooved driving sheave 85 which is mounted about reversibly driven shaft52 which, in turn, drives the upper apron 46. Bracket 77 has a beltguide pin extending outwardly over sheave 85 which aids in keeping belt84 properly seated about its sheaves. Interiorly of multiply groovedsheave 85 and coaxially mounted about shaft 52 is a sprocket 86 aboutwhich is wrapped a chain 88. Chain 88 drives the lower bale formingmeans or apron 89, illustrated in phantom in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, drive belt 75 and driving belt 84 aremaintained with the proper amount of tension to transmit rotary powerfrom output shaft 71 via drive sheave 74 to both sheave 76 and multiplygrooved sheave 85 by means of a series of movable tensioning idlers. Therelationships of these idlers to belts 75 and 84 during the roll formingcycle and the roll ejection cycle also are shown in FIG. 2, the formerpositioning being shown in solid lines and the latter positioning inphantom lines, respectively.

Drive belt 75 is tensioned by a pair of rotatable idlers 90 and 91 whichare movable separately with respect to each other. Idler 90 is rotatablymounted to arm 92 which is pivotally affixed to side sheet member 94 viabushing 95 and pin 96. Idler 90 is spring biased via spring 101 which isfastened via a suitable clevis 102 mounted to bracket 104. Bracket 104is fixedly fastened to horizontal beam member 24. Spring 101 serves tokeep belt 75 under the proper amount of tension to transmit rotary drivepower when the upper frame or tailgate 20 is in the closed position anda crop roll R is being formed within the machine in a region commonlyknown as the roller bale forming region. Idler 91 is fastened to anextensible support arm attached at the upper end to the tailgate 20 andwhich is indicated generally by the numeral 98. A connecting link 93 ispivotally affixed to bracket 106 suitably fastened to side sheet member94. Connecting link 93 is mounted to bracket 106 by bushing 97 and pin103. On its opposing end link 93 rotatably supports idler 91 by bushing87 and pin 120, best shown in the broken away view of idler 91 in FIG.3. Link 93 and support arm 98 are joined via bushing 87 and pin 120 forcoordinated movement as the tailgate 20 is raised to control thepositioning of idler 91.

Driving belt 84 is tensioned by movable idler 99 which is rotatablyaffixed to a second extensible support arm also attached at its upperend to the tailgate 20 and indicated generally by the numeral 100. Asbest seen in FIG. 3, pivot arm 107 is suitably journalled on one end toroller pin 116 at the base of support arm 100. On its opposing end pivotarm 107 is journalled in side sheet member 94 by bushing 113 and pin117, thus permitting it to pivot upwardly with idler 99 as support arm100 is lifted by the raising of the tailgate 20.

A control plate 139 is fixedly fastened to pivot arm 107 so that itfollows the pivotal movement of arm 107 and idler 99 when the tailgate20 is opened. Projecting outwardly from plate 139 generallyintermediately of its length is a lifting pin 140. Pin 140 slidesbeneath the upper run of belt 84 when the idler 99 is raised by thelifting of the tailgate to insure that the tension applied to the belt84 is sufficiently reduced to stop the transfer of rotary power betweendrive sheave 74 and multiply grooved sheave 85. A pull line or rope 141is suitably fastened to the bottom portion of control plate 139 atlocation 142. Pull line 141 runs forwardly from the front of rollforming machine 10 to the operator's area of the tractor (not shown).Control plate 139 has connecting arm 143 connected generallyintermediately thereto between roller pin 116 and lifting pin 140.Connecting arm 143 is slidably and movably joined at its opposing end toangle arm 144. The angle arm 144 is fixedly fastened to link 93 andtherefore always maintains the angular relationship therewith shown inFIG. 2. The slot shown in the bottom portion of connecting arm 143, inconjunction with the designed limitation in pivotal motion of link 93upwardly and rearwardly when the tailgate is raised, limits the amountof rotation upwardly which pivot arm 107 can achieve during operation.Angle arm 144 has at its uppermost end a suitably sized aperture torotatably fit about bushing 97 and pin 103. The inward angling of anglearm 144 permits connecting arm 143 to be movably journalled so that itextends upwardly interiorly of movable idler 99. Connecting arm 143 isfastened on the interior side of control plate 139. Spring 105, suitablyanchored on one end to control plate 139 and on its opposite end tobracket 77, serves to relieve the tension on belt 84 by lifting controlplate 139 and idler 99 as the tailgate 20 is elevated beyond apredetermined point in its arcuate path to the raised or open position.

Extensible support arms 98 and 100, as shown in FIG. 1, are suitablyfastened at their upper ends to bracing member 35 of the upper frame ortailgate 20 by a stub pin 108 and bushing (not shown). Support arm 100has an upper base member with a spring (both not shown) inserted withinits hollow upper portion. The opposing end of arm 100 has insertedtherein a telescoping portion 114 which has at its lower end a bracket115 suitably fastened thereto, best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Idler 99 isrotatably mounted about roller pin and bushing 116 which passes throughthe legs of bracket 115. A spring within the upper base member (both notshown) of support arm 100 serves to keep sufficient tension via idler 99on belt 84 to permit the transfer of rotary drive power when thetailgate 20 is in the closed position. Support arm 98 similarly ismounted about pin 108 and its associated bushing at the upper portion ofits base member (not shown in detail). Inserted within the hollowedlower end of the base member of support arm 98 is the telescopingportion, best shown in the cut away view of FIG. 3. The lower portion oftelescoping member 119 has a roller pin 120 fixed thereto and aboutwhich the idler 91 is rotatably mounted. The most exterior or outboardend of roller pin 120 has connecting link 93 affixed thereto. Thetelescoping portions 119 and 114 of support arms 98 and 100,respectively, are movably within their respective base members to permitsome lost motion to occur in the movement of the idlers 91 and 99 as thetailgate is raised. This permits the required amount of tension to bemaintained on the belts 75 and 84 until certain predetermined points inthe elevational path of the tailgate are reached.

The arcuate movement of the tailgate, in conjunction with spring 105,causes the idler 99 to be sufficiently raised to reduce the requiredtension to interrupt the transfer of the rotary drive power transmittedvia belt 84. Belt 75 is continuously maintained under tension as thetailgate 20 is raised by the cooperative pivotal effect of idlers 90 and91 and spring 101 so that rotary driving force is continuouslytransferred from sheave 74 to sheave 76. As the tailgate continues to beraised towards its fully extended position, a second predetermined pointis reached where the arm 98 is in a position which causes the idler 91to pull the drive belt 75 sufficiently upwardly and rearwardly that itback wraps about multiply grooved sheave 85. The combined cooperativeeffect of idlers 90,91, spring 101 and arm 98 creates greater tension onthe back wrapped drive belt 75 when the tailgate is in the raisedposition than when it is in the lowered or closed position. The effectof this back wrapping will be further explained hereinafter.

A support shelf (not shown) may be suitably affixed to side sheet member94 to support the lower run of driving belt 84 when the tailgate israised beyond the predetermined point that removes the tension fromdriving belt 84 to interrupt the transfer of rotary power between thedrive sheave 74 and multiply grooved sheave 85.

Shaft 52 has a one-way clutch 124 mounted about it inwardly of multiplygrooved sheave 85. Clutch 124 is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Theinterior of hub 126 has a pawl or dog 129 fastened to it by pin 130. Thepawl is spring biased by a compression spring inserted in a suitableslot cast in the hub. The clutch 124 seats within the sheave 85 and hasratcheting 128 circumferentially cast about the entire interiorcircumference. The ratcheting 128 cooperates with pawl 129 so that whenthe sheave 85 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the clutch isdisengaged and the pawl 129 rides over the ratcheting 128. When thesheave 85 turns and rotates in a clockwise direction, the pawl 129engages ratcheting 128 and causes the sprocket (not shown) about whichthe chain 88 of the lower bale forming means or lower apron passes tocorrespondingly rotate. This sprocket is bolted or pinned to the clutch124. The rotation of the lower apron sprocket causes lower apron chain88 to be driven and accordingly drives the lower apron 89, briefly shownin FIG. 1. The end of shaft 52 preferably is splined and interfits withthe splined center of sheave 85. The sheave 85 is securely fastened tothe exterior of shaft 52 in FIG. 3 by a locking bolt 135 and washer 136,or in another suitable fashion.

Alternately, the interior of hub 126 could be composed of ratcheting 128circumferentially cast about the entire interior circumference of thesheave 85. The ratcheting 128 would then cooperate with the pawl or dog129 fastened to the clutch by a pin 130. In this configuration when thesheave 85 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the clutch would bedisengaged and the pawl 129 would ride over the ratchets 128. A drivingrelationship would exist between the ratcheting 128 and the pawl 129when the sheave 85 turns in a counterclockwise direction.

In operation the roll forming machine 10 is towed across a field thathas arranged thereon in preformed windrows a suitable crop material thathas been previously cut. The tined pickup 22 gathers the windrowed cropmaterial, picks it up from the ground and transports it upwardly intothe forward portion of the floor 25. The crop material is thentransported by the lower apron 89 rearwardly into contact with themoving upper apron 46. The upper apron 46 causes the crop material to berolled at the rear of the floor 25 in what is commonly called the baleforming region and initiates the formation of a core of crop material.The crop material is continually fed into the bale forming region whereit is formed into a progressively increasing sized core. The upper baleforming means 46 expands about the crop roll R as the roll increases insize by means of the rotation of the takeup means 54 which permits theplaying out of more of the upper bale forming means to accommdate theincreased bale size. Once the crop roll R has reached the desired size,the operator stops the machine 10 and, if desired, wraps the roll R witha wrapping or binding material. Upon completion of the roll forming andwrapping cycles, the operator elevates the upper frame or tailgate 20 inpreparation for discharging the completed crop roll R onto the ground.

Initially while the upper frame 20 is being raised the support arms 98and 100 maintain sufficient pressure on the idlers 91 and 99 to causebelts 75 and 84 to continue to transfer rotary force. However, beyond afirst predetermined point in the elevation of the upper frame 20 thelost motion built into the telescoping portion 119 of the support arm 98has reached its limit and the idler 91 begins to be raised sufficientlyto affect the manner in which the transfer of rotary power through thebelt 75 is achieved. Similarly, at a second predetermined point in theelevation of upper frame 20 the tension spring within the support arm100 reaches its limit of expansion and idler 99 begins to be raised,thereby decreasing the tension on driving belt 84 until it causes thesheave 85 to cease to be driven. This in turn stops the rotation ofshaft 52 which is connected to the sprocket which drives the upper baleforming means 46. As the tailgate or upper frame 20 continues to beraised idler 91 on the lower end of support arm 98 is pivoted upwardlyand rearwardly about the pivot point of connecting ling 93. This pivotalmotion of idler 91 in turn causes idler 90 to be pivoted upwardly in agenerally clockwise rotation about the pivot pin 96 of idler arm 92.During this entire time rotary drive continues to be transmitted viadrive belt 75 from the drive sheave 74 to sheave 76. At the firstpredetermined point in the elevation of the tailgate or upper frame 20the idler 91 is pulled sufficiently upwardly and rearwardly to cause thebelt 75 to begin to back wrap about the now stationary sheave 85. Oncethe belt 75 is back wrapped about sheave 85 with sufficient tension, thecontinued movement of belt 75 imparts a counterclockwise motion tosheave 85, thereby causing the one-way clutch 124 to disengage as pawl129 passes over the ratcheting 128. Because of the splined connection ofof sheave 85 to shaft 52, the shaft 52 also rotates in acounterclockwise direction transmitting this rotary drive to a sprocket(not shown) about which is mounted one of the chains of the upper baleforming means 46. The counterclockwise rotation of this sprocket causesthe upper bale forming means 46 to reverse its normal direction oftravel and impart topspin to the completed crop roll R as it urges theroll R out of the roll forming machine's bale forming region. However,the disengagement of the one way clutch 124 causes the lower baleforming means or apron 89 to normally remain in a position of restduring discharge. Upon completion of the ejection of the completed croproll R the upper frame or tailgate 20 is lowered, thereby causing theidlers 99 and 91 to be driven generally downwardly and forwardly intothe position generally shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. As the idler 91is lowered it causes the belt 75 to lose contact with the sheave 85 and,therefore, allows the upper bale forming means 46 to cease turning inits reverse direction. As the idler 99 is lowered with the closing ofthe tailgate or upper frame 20, it comes into contact again with belt 84and supplies sufficient tension to permit the rotary drive force to betransferred from the continuously turning sheave 74 to sheave 85 via thebelt 84 so that the sheave 85 drives the shaft 52 in a clockwisedirection. This allows the upper apron or bale forming means 46 to bedriven in the direction illustrated in FIG. 1.

However, on rare occasions when, for example, the core of the crop rollmay break down or the supply of crop material is exhausted, it becomesnecessary for the machine's operator to discharge a substantially lessthan fully formed crop roll or bale. The automatic reversing of theupper bale forming means 46 is not effective to discharge the incompletebale because of the relatively small amount of the roll's surface areawhich the upper bale forming means 46 can frictionally engage. On theseoccasions the operator pulls the pull line or rope 141, causing thecontrol plate 139 to pivot on pivot arm 107 about pin 117 generallydownwardly and forwardly. This prevents the idler 99 from ridingupwardly on arm 100, thereby maintaining the tension on belt 84. Thus,the disengaging of the lower bale forming means 89 is avoided while thetailgate 20 is raised to the predetermined height generally indicated bythe solid line position shown in FIG. 1. Since the lower bale formingmeans 89 continues to be driven rearwardly, the partially formed croproll r is carried out of the bale forming region and out the rear of theroll forming machine 10. The elevating of the tailgate 20 raises theupper bale forming means 46 sufficiently so that it does not contact thepartially formed crop roll r even though it continues to be driven inits first driven direction, indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1.

Should the operator attempt to activate the override mechanism bypulling on the pull line 141 after the tailgate 20 has been raised abovethe predetermined point in its arcuate path of travel, the mechanicaladvantage and design of the connecting arm 143, angle arm 144, controlplate 139, and the drive means 19 prevents the override from beingactivated. This is effected by the force of the hydraulic cylinders 41lifting the tailgate 20 and the attached idlers 91 and 99 beyond pointsin their respective pivotal paths of travel from which the operator canlower them to override the automatic reversing of the upper bale formingmeans 46. Since the belt 75 is back wrapped about the sheave 85 when thetailgate 20 is elevated above the previously mentioned secondpredetermined point, any attempts to activate the override mechanismabove this second predetermined point in effect would be an attempt todrive the upper bale forming means 46 in two directions at the sametime. Thus, the override mechanism is protected from damaging the drivemeans 19 by its design and the interaction of the tailgate 20 and thedrive means 19.

It should be noted at this point that the instant invention is equallywell employed on a roll forming machine which either does not utilizethe movement of the upper bale forming means or in fact does not use themovement of the upper bale forming means in its original direction oftravel to eject a partially or fully formed crop roll from the machinewith the lower bale forming means disengaged. The overriding of thedisengagement of the lower bale forming means will permit the lower baleforming means to discharge the crop roll generally regardless of anymovement of the upper bale forming means.

While the preferred structure in which the principles of the presentinvention have been incorporated is shown and described above, it is tobe understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails thus presented but, in fact, widely different means may beemployed in the practice of the broader aspects of this invention. Thescope of the appended claims is intended to encompass all obviouschanges in the details, materials and arrangements of parts that willoccur to one of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of thisdisclosure.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
 1. In a croproll forming machine having a pickup, a tailgate movable in an arcuatepath of travel between a first point and a second point, an upper baleforming means reversibly movable in a first direction and an opposingsecond direction, a lower bale forming means movable in at least a firstdirection of travel, the upper and lower bale forming means generallydefining therebetween a roll forming region, and drive means connectableto the upper and lower bale forming means effective to automaticallyreverse the movement of the upper bale forming means when the tailgateis elevated beyond a predetermined point in its arcuate path of traveland to stop the travel of the lower bale forming means, the improvementcomprising:selectively actuatable control means cooperative with thedrive means such that when activated the movement of the upper baleforming means continues to move in the first direction and the lowerbale forming means continues to travel in the first direction to eject apartially formed crop roll from the roll forming region.
 2. The rollforming machine according to claim 1 wherein the control means isactuatable only prior to the tailgate being elevated beyond thepredetermined point.
 3. The roll forming machine according to claim 2wherein the control means further comprises a plate member pivotallyfastened to the machine and connectable to the tailgate, the platemember further having a pulling means fastened thereto for selectivemanual activation.
 4. The roll forming machine according to claim 3wherein the upper bale forming means further comprises a pair of chainsinterconnected by parallel spaced apart generally horizontal membersforming a generally curvilinear crop engaging surface.
 5. The rollforming machine according to claim 1 wherein the upper bale formingmeans comprises at least one rotatably mounted belt.
 6. The roll formingmachine according to claim 1 wherein the upper bale forming meanscomprises a plurality of adjacent generally cylindrical surfacesrotatably mounted to the machine.
 7. A roll forming machine for formingcylindrical bales of crop material which comprises:(a) a generallyupright mobile frame having opposing sides with an infeed area and anoutlet area therebetween, the frame being adapted to travel across afield of crop material; (b) pickup means mounted to the frame to gathercrop material from the field and deliver it to the infeed area; (c) atailgate mounted to the frame and movable in a predetermined path oftravel between a first point and a second point; (d) lifting meansmounted to the frame connected to the tailgate to move the tailgatebetween the first point and the second point; (e) upper bale formingmeans supported by the frame and reversibly movable in a first directionand an opposing second direction; (f) lower bale forming means supportedby the frame generally below the upper bale forming means and movable inat least a first direction of travel; (g) a roll forming region definedgenerally by the upper bale forming means and the lower bale formingmeans and positioned between the inlet and outlet areas; (h) drive meansrotatably affixed to the frame and connectable to the upper and lowerbale forming means effective to automatically reverse the movement ofthe upper bale forming means when the tailgate is elevated beyond apredetermined point in its path of travel, the drive means further beingeffective to stop the travel of the lower bale forming means beyond thepredetermined point; and (i) selectively actuatable control meansmounted to the frame and cooperative with the drive means such that whenactuated the upper bale forming means continues to move in the firstdirection and the lower bale forming means continues to travel in itsfirst direction to eject a partially formed crop roll from the rollforming region.
 8. The roll forming machine according to claim 7 whereinthe control means is actuatable only prior to the tailgate beingelevated beyond the predetermined point.
 9. The roll forming machineaccording to claim 8 wherein the control means further comprises a platemember pivotally fastened to the machine and connectable to thetailgate, the plate member further having a pulling means fastenedthereto for selective manual activation.
 10. The roll forming machineaccording to claim 7 wherein the tailgate is pivotally mounted to theframe and movable along a generally arcuate path of travel.
 11. A rollforming machine for forming cylindrical bales of crop material whichcomprises:(a) a generally upright mobile frame having opposing sideswith an infeed area and an outlet area therebetween, the frame beingadapted to travel across a field of crop material; (b) pickup meansmounted to the frame to gather crop material from the field and deliverit to the infeed area; (c) a tailgate mounted to the frame and movablein a predetermined path of travel between a first point and a secondpoint; (d) lifting means mounted to the frame connected to the tailgateto move the tailgate between the first point and the second point; (e)upper bale forming means movably supported by the frame; (f) lower baleforming means supported by the frame generally below the upper baleforming means and movable in at least a first direction of travel; (g) aroll forming region defined generally by the upper bale forming meansand the lower bale forming means and positioned between the inlet andoutlet areas; (h) drive means rotatably affixed to the frame andconnectable to the lower bale forming means effective to automaticallydisengage the lower bale forming means when the tailgate is elevatedbeyond a predetermined point in its path of travel; and (i) selectivelyactuatable control means mounted to the frame and cooperative with thedrive means such that when actuated the lower bale forming meanscontinues to travel in its first direction to eject a crop roll from theroll forming region.
 12. The roll forming machine according to claim 11wherein the control means is actuatable only prior to the tailgate beingelevated byond the predetermined point.
 13. The roll forming machineaccording to claim 12 wherein the control means further comprises aplate member pivotally fastened to the machine and connectable to thetailgate, the plate member further having a pulling means fastenedthereto for selected manual activation.
 14. The roll forming machineaccording to claim 11 wherein the tailgate is pivotally mounted to theframe and movable along a generally arcuate path of travel.